The present invention relates to a process for preparing a block copolymer comprising polyarylene ether and polyalkylene oxide blocks, comprising the reaction of an HO-terminated polyarylene ether with a monomeric alkylene oxide.
The present invention also relates to a block copolymer obtainable from this process.
The invention additionally relates to a triblock polymer with polyalkylene oxide-polyaryl ether-polyalkylene oxide blocks is.
The invention also relates to a molding composition comprising from 1 to 60% by weight of at least one block copolymer comprising polyarylene ether and polyalkylene oxide blocks.
The invention also relates to the use of at least one such block copolymer or of a molding composition for production of coatings, films, fibers, moldings and/or membranes.
The invention relates to membranes comprising such a block copolymer or such a molding composition.
The literature discloses polyarylene ether-polyalkylene oxides. They form part of the class of the hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers, which have great potential for use especially in the medical technology sector.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,902 describes the synthesis of polyarylene ether-polyalkylene oxide copolymers. One use is that of specially modified polyalkylene oxide derivatives as regulators in the polycondensation of bisphenols and dichlorodiphenyl sulfone, or else polyalkylene oxides with OH end groups are used as a comonomer in the synthesis of the polyarylene ethers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,437 also describes polyarylene ether-polyalkylene oxide copolymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,880 provides membranes which, in addition to polyarylene ethers, comprise a block copolymer of polyarylene ether and polyalkylene oxide for hydrophilization. For structure control, activated polyalkylene oxides are reacted with OH- or NH2-terminated polyarylene ethers.
EP 781795 describes a similar approach for preparation of the block copolymers to U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,880. Here, Cl-terminated polyalkylene oxides as a comonomer are reacted with dichlorodiphenyl sulfone and a diphenol under the action of potash.
EP 739925 also describes polyarylene ether and polyalkylene oxide copolymers.
The synthesis of polyarylene ether-polyalkylene oxide copolymers described in Macromolecules 29 (23) p. 7619 (1996) requires long reaction times.
The process of DE 199 07 605 shows products with low structure control.